Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Do you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Does your snoring keep your spouse awake? Dr. Cindy Neufeld at Apple Dental Care can help with these problems.

How does snoring occur?

Snoring occurs when your airway becomes partially blocked by the soft tissue at the back of your throat. Sometimes that tissue can completely block the airway causing a medical condition called sleep apnea.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing for 10 seconds or more. Some people may have as many as 50 apneic episodes an hour. This means the brain, and the rest of the body, may not get enough oxygen. As a result, they feel really tired throughout the day, unaware that they have sleep apnea.

There are two types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The more common of the two forms of sleep apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.

Central Sleep Apnea: Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked, but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe, due to instability in the respiratory control center.

Am I at Risk for Sleep Apnea?

As a dentist, there are signs that we see in patients that suggests you may be at risk of having sleep apnea, such as:

Dry mouth

Increased tooth decay rate

Wear and erosion of teeth

Nocturnal bruxism (grinding of the teeth)

Exostosis (additional bone found in the jaw in response to pressure)

Large tonsils

How can we help?

At Apple Dental Care in Edmonton, we may have you do a home study to determine if you have sleep apnea or if you simply snore.

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, Dr. Neufeld is a provider of Vivos or DNA appliance. The DNA appliance is an appliance for the treatment of snoring and mild-to-moderate sleep apnea. A mouth insert is worn over the teeth during the evening and at night, allowing the body to gently increase the size of the upper jaw and the volume of the nasal airway.

If you have a cPap for sleep apnea and are not able to wear it, we can help you with that.

Types of Appliances

Vivos or DNA Appliance

Vivos or DNA appliance is worn 16-18 hours a day and expands the upper jaw and upper airway. It will be followed by orthodontic treatment following expansion.

Oral Appliance Therapy

This is an appliance worn at night the keeps the jaw forward to open your airway.

Types of Oral Appliances

Somnodent MAS

This appliance has wings on the lower portion that fit against a stop on the upper jaw to position the lower jaw forward and open your airway. This appliance is comfortable and easy to use.

The TAP Appliance

The Thornton Adjustable Positioner or TAP appliance uses a pin in the upper appliance and a slot in the lower to help reposition the lower jaw forward.

The Silent Nite Appliance

This appliance has different sizes of straps that help position the jaw forward. It is a comfortable appliance, but it is not strong enough for patients with a severe grinding habit.

Panthera

To maintain an adequate respiratory flow during sleep, this appliance moves the lower jaw forward to a comfortable position, thus enabling you to breathe during your sleep.

MicrO2

The MicrO2 appliance is an intraoral sleep device that features a pair of upper and lower arches that can be set in differing increments. The device works by by moving the lower jaw forward. It increases the diameter of the retropharyngeal airway behind the tongue. This reduces snoring and obstructive respiratory events during sleep.

If you are struggling with sleep apnea, the team at Apple Dental Care in Edmonton can help. Contact us today!